Funeral for a friend
by Hobbitpal
Summary: A funeral is being held for a dear friend of the Las Vegas CSIs
1. Warrick

Warrick's POV

The church was crowded with people, young and old, men and women a like, all of them gathered to remember one man.

I had no idea that he had known so many people. There was everyone from the crime lab of course, and P.D. but other people had turned up, people who known him and felt a need to give him the respect that he had given them.

The old Graveyard shift sat along the front pew, each of us just quietly remembering the man that had been our friend and colleague. It was strange, seeing all of us together again. It had been almost 6 years since we had last been together as team, ad that had been at Sara's farewell party.

Each of us said a piece about him, telling him how we felt.

The man had been my closest friend and like a second father to my children. Tina and I decided not to bring them. Even at the ages of 11 and 9, it didn't feel right to take them. Sara and Alex's children didn't come either, or Nick and Sofia's. We'd all stuck them with Judy, the little receptionist who had volunteered to look after them and then bring them to the bun fight afterwards.

Greg, Nick and myself helped carry the coffin, leading the procession through the graveyard to his final resting place, his final home.

The bun fight was at the Vartann house, and for a sad occasion, all of us had smiles on our faces by the end of the evening. We all sat and talked late into the night, just remembering him as we toasted to him. Our dear departed friend. May he rest in peace.


	2. Sofia

Sofia's POV

He worked right up until the last moment of his life, refused to listen to doctor's advice; I'm only surprised he didn't go sooner. I know that's a harsh thing to say, but the way he pushed himself, I am amazed.

It's a shame, he will be missed, by a lot of people; the church was packed with people, all of whom had loved him.

It's to him I owe a lot, my time at CSI, my knowledge and to some extent, my marriage. If it hadn't been for him introducing Nick to me, I wouldn't be the married woman that I am today, or the mother of three mischievous children.

We all said something about him, we had to. I spoke about my favourite memory of him, when we'd first meet, how he had tried out a new method of solving a crime, of interpreting. He was willing to change his spots if he needed to. He had been welcoming and warm in a way my father never had been with me. My children looked up to him as their grandfather. They don't really understand that their 'Grandpa' wouldn't be around at their next birthday party, or that they won't be able to visit his office anymore. They are only small, the oldest being about 6, the youngest 1 and a half.

I walked past his office the other day; all his things have been removed and packed away. We each took something to remember him by. I got a couple of books and a case of butterflies, they would have been sold otherwise, and my daughter loves butterflies.

I think Greg got the Billy Bass fish, it sits above the door to his office, in memory. We all walk in memory at the moment, memory of one loved man…


	3. Greg

Greg's POV

He taught me everything I know as a CSI, as a supervisor, as an adult. I got promoted a few years ago, just after Sara left the labs. She became a science teacher at the local elementary school. She was an automatic hit from what I can gather. The children love her and idolise her, I know her own children do.

You know, I think Sara leaving was one of the blows for him. He seemed to always hold on to the idea that she might come back to him. She never did. Poor guy, he really did love her. Always, right up to the day he died.

I try to remember him by being a good supervisor; by teaching everything he had taught me to my new CSIs, to my little children. I know he wanted children, you could see it in his eyes whenever he saw the 'CSI babies'. He taught them and they taught him, in their own way. Every birthday and Christmas there would be a small gift for them.

So, as I sit at my desk facing the door, I can't help but look at the Billy Bass fish I got from his office, above it as photo of him; my teacher, my friend, my 'father'.


	4. Nick

Nick's POV

We sort of lost the bound we had had when I first joined the lab. When I became Supervisor of the other day shift team, we rarely saw each other unless it was one of the kid's birthdays or one of the social occasions Catherine set up every now and then.

I occasionally saw him about the halls of the lab, but every time I saw him, he looked more and more depressed.

Sofia communicated with him a lot more, through emails and the like. The kids adored him, always waiting excitedly for their Grandpa Grissom to arrive.

But even though he laughed and smiled with them, it was clear that he saw something he would never have in front of him; a family.

When Sara had left him and the lab, it had struck him hard. I think that deep inside he was still holding on to what remained of their love. Hoping that she would leave Alex and her children to go back to him.

But for all his faults, he was liked and there was a large turnout at his funeral.

He was religious once, I know, but there was a lot of debate about whether he should be buried in a graveyard, or have his body donated to a body farm.

We decided on a funeral. It later turned out that his will dictated that he did not want to be an experiment. By the end of his life, I think he was fed up with experiments and just became tired, even though he loved his job.

I'll miss him, I know that much. I'll genuinely miss him now that he's gone and I know a lot of people will miss him, especially the old Graveyard team.

After the funeral and wake, we went out for a meal, just the old team, to remember the man that had made us who we were today…


	5. Sara

Sara's POV

I felt as though I shouldn't have gone to the funeral, as though I was guilty of something, and I guess in a way, I was guilty of something of denying his love, of not loving him back; for leaving him.

All through the service, I asked for his forgiveness, asked him not to judge me for choosing someone else, for giving up the job that he had trained me to do.

After my daughter was born, I realized that I couldn't be a CSI anymore, not even on Days, so I became a teacher at the local secondary school and I love it. I'm with my family more and I am happier. But it destroyed him; everyone said that.

I saw him occasionally, at dinners Alex took me to and old team dinners Catherine forced me to go to.

But he's gone now; his office will stand empty, waiting to be filled by the new supervisor of Graveyard.

He mentioned me in his will, leaving me a load of his books and writings. They're in boxes at the moment, in the spare room, waiting for Alex and I to go through them. I feel too guilty at the moment to do that at the moment, because I used to love him, and then I denied him that love…


	6. Brass

Brass's POV

I'd known him for as long as I can remember since moving to Vegas. I saw him when he was at his most depressed and his happiest, and I have never seen a man change as much as he did.

When he was with Sara, there was life in his eyes and some of the old him came back, but take Sara out of the equation and you have a man with nothing to live for but his work.

We all tried to get him to go out more, go to breakfast with his new team, integrate in the same way he had with his old team, but he wouldn't listen.

We couldn't even get him to retire or take some holiday time; he just shut himself in his office, ignoring the rest of the world, only his pet tarantula for company.

I retired, a couple of years after Sara married. I was sort of forced to because of my physical condition after the shooting. Now, all I do is sit at home with my plants. I'd never enjoyed gardening before my retirement. I guess I didn't have enough time.

Even in my 'lazy' days, I still saw him at various birthday parties the 'CSI babies' had. The last one I saw him at would have been Nick and Sofia's eldest- Laura's party.

He's gone now. I just hope that wherever he has gone, he's a lot happier than he was on Earth.

I'm not blaming anyone for his misery than himself. It was his own fault and arrogance that stopped him from being happy.


	7. Doc Robbins

Doc Robbin's POV

I refused to perform the autopsy, it would have gone against protocol for me to perform it- I knew him to well, and I don't think I could have.

As both a doctor and a friend, I told him to cut down on how much work he was doing, to take some holiday time, to retire even, but he wouldn't listen to me, that's what killed him. Apart from the heart attack that is.

In the end, there was nothing we could do unfortunately. We all tried our best, but obviously our best wasn't enough.

He was well known for his knowledge of bugs and his entomological textbooks that are now selling quite rapidly, especially his children's ones on creepy crawlies. I know that Nick and Sofia's children love them, as does Warrick's. I don't know about Sara's children. I've hardly spoken to her since she left the lab.

It was a simple service, in a small church. They even buried him with his kit, which was a nice touch. Now, it's some middle-aged guy that comes into my kitchen and asks me questions about the body before us.

I don't think any of us will get over the shock that he's not here, because in a way, he always is.


	8. Catherine

Catherine's POV

A week after his funeral, I was going through a load of his old drawers and came across some letters, all of them addressed to Sara. Normally, I don't like to pry, but, well, he was dead and Sara was never going to read them. They were love letters, 2 for each year that he'd known her, one written on her birthday, the other on Christmas Day.

They were beautifully written, so full of feeling and care. I never knew he had such emotion in him, or that he admired her so much.

At the bottom of the drawers were another set of letters. They all looked newer than the other letters and were this time addressed to each member of the old team. Goodbye letters, short and sweet;

Dear Catherine,

I know that by the time you read this, I will be gone and you'll be packing up my office. Take what you like; I'm not going to need it now.

I'm sure you arranged a beautiful service. You always have had better taste than me. I'm sorry I never said goodbye in person, but you know, I mean knew me, I never could say a decent goodbye to someone's face. So I say it now; goodbye my friend, I'm sure that you're future holds better prospects than mine did.

All the best and give my love to Lindsey,

Gil.

I sank back; crying.


	9. Bonus

Hodges's POV 

I believe we always had a close connection, one where we could talk openly. Then again, the talking was mostly on my side of the conversation. He normally told me to go away, or shut up or to talk to the physiatrist. The only time he really said something nice to me was when I broke into his office and he said well done to me. That was when I knew we had a connection that one was really there between us.

I suppose the new guy is all right, he's a little bit jollier than Grissom, but we don't have the same connection, he says well done to me too often. It's slightly off putting now. Oh well, I'll make the most of it while he's here…

David's POV 

He always said hello to me, always greeted me whenever we passed in the corridor or at a crime scene. He never got angry if I was late getting to a scene or slow on getting a body to the morgue. He seemed to under stand how busy we could get in the morgue and that I was only one guy trying to get everything done.

For all the faults people said about him behind his back, he was a good man, and I will miss him, his hellos and good-humoured comments in the autopsy room. He'll be missed in the morgue, and it was a shame he ended up on our table. I hope he finds peace, where ever he has gone.


End file.
